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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Asador Etxebarri at Etxebarri
Just when I thought this food trip to Spain couldn’t possibly get any better...... Asador Etxebarri. Another lunch here that I will remember for ever. So lucky with the weather again, it was just a perfect way to end this leg of the trip before heading to Madrid. Steve Plotnicki you know how to throw a party and I can’t thank you enough for inviting... More
Just when I thought this food trip to Spain couldn’t possibly get any better...... Asador Etxebarri. Another lunch here that I will remember for ever. So lucky with the weather again, it was just a perfect way to end this leg of the trip before heading to Madrid. Steve Plotnicki you know how to throw a party and I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to celebrate your birthday here, you are a true gent.
Etxebarri is currently number 3 on Worlds 50 Best restaurant list and also 3rd on OAD’s best European restaurant list and for good reason. Has anyone noticed how a lot of chefs and restaurants these days are cooking over open fire? Well it is arguably true that this originates with one man...Victor Arguinzoniz in this small village in the Basque country. This quiet, humble cook is actually one of the most influential chefs on the planet. I really struggle to think of a meal that I have enjoyed more than any of the three I have had at Etxebarri. This is the answer to the question ‘if I could only visit one restaurant again in my life, which would it be?’
Thanks again Steve and thanks for the wonderful company Beth Lang, Margaret Lam, Michael Price, Linda Plotnicki, Alejandro Alki, Stella Alikov, John Bruno Scherrer and everyone else who shared this fabulous meal. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Casa Urola at Casa Urola
Dinner last month at Casa Urola in San Sebastián with expert meat model (see video)and future wife Michael Price ?. Thanks to Steve Plotnicki for organising this little get together to precede the general drunkenness and debauchery that is the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) awards jolly.
At Casa Urola, chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil cooks dishes using... More
Dinner last month at Casa Urola in San Sebastián with expert meat model (see video)and future wife Michael Price ?. Thanks to Steve Plotnicki for organising this little get together to precede the general drunkenness and debauchery that is the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) awards jolly.
At Casa Urola, chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil cooks dishes using the best seasonal vegetables, the freshest fish and seafood and the most select meats upstairs above the also excellent pintxos bar. This restaurant has been in existence since 1956 and is a must visit when in San Sebastián. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Clos Madrid at Clos Madrid
My first visit to ⭐️ @restauranteclosmadrid
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Venison loin and pickled mini vegetables
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Wild sea bass, its collagen and cauliflower
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Artichoke, parmesan and truffle tortellini
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Lemon sabayon, cinnamon cookie and citronella granita
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Madrilenian custard
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD -
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood... More
My first visit to ⭐️ @restauranteclosmadrid
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Venison loin and pickled mini vegetables
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Wild sea bass, its collagen and cauliflower
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Artichoke, parmesan and truffle tortellini
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Lemon sabayon, cinnamon cookie and citronella granita
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Madrilenian custard
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD -
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide @michelinguide @theworlds50best Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Kaia Kaipe at Kaia Kaipe
Lunch a few weeks ago at Kaia Kaipe in Getaria which is the next best thing (or the same best thing depending on your personal preference) to Elkano which was closed that day as they were preparing to cook dinner for us at the OAD awards.
You know it has to be good when our table and the room are just packed full of chefs and industry pros including... More
Lunch a few weeks ago at Kaia Kaipe in Getaria which is the next best thing (or the same best thing depending on your personal preference) to Elkano which was closed that day as they were preparing to cook dinner for us at the OAD awards.
You know it has to be good when our table and the room are just packed full of chefs and industry pros including ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dabiz Muñoz from DiverXO in Madrid, Gareth Ward & Amelia Eiríksson of ⭐️ Ynyshir in Wales, the head honcho of ⭐️ Tickets in Barcelona, some guy called Michael Price (??♂️) as well as dedicated foodies like the lovely Alejandro Alki, Stella Alikov and Marc Garcia. A very nice lunch indeed ? Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Amelia by Paulo Airaudo
Dinner a few weeks ago at ⭐️ restaurant Amelia in San Sebastián. Finally I am catching up to the trip to San Sebastián last month for the annual OAD (Opinionated About Dining) awards. More on that later but I was happy for my first meal back in San Sebastián, literally straight off the plane, to be at Paulo Airaudo’s restaurant Amelia. I had... More
Dinner a few weeks ago at ⭐️ restaurant Amelia in San Sebastián. Finally I am catching up to the trip to San Sebastián last month for the annual OAD (Opinionated About Dining) awards. More on that later but I was happy for my first meal back in San Sebastián, literally straight off the plane, to be at Paulo Airaudo’s restaurant Amelia. I had recently visited his London outpost Da Terra at the old Typing Room and Viajante site in Bethnal Green and so was keen to visit the Mother ship as it were. Also I was excited for him to be cooking later that week at the OAD ‘New to the List’ dinner where chefs that break in to the OAD top 100 European restaurant list are invited to cook one of their signature dishes at the awards ceremony (or massive piss up as I prefer to call it)
Paulo was there cooking for his 22 diners a tasting menu that draws influence from his Argentinian and Italian heritage, focusing on seasonal and sustainable produce provided by small producers that share his values and philosophy.
Having traveled and cooked in restaurants such as Arzak (⭐️⭐️⭐️), The Fat Duck (⭐️⭐️⭐️) and Magnolia (⭐️) it seems that he is now happy to settle in a town like San Sebastián where the eyes of the world’s chefs and food lovers are seemingly constantly focused. Indeed the restaurant is named from his daughter so it seems as though he has found his home here and I look forward to visiting again very soon.
Plus he’s a massive Star Wars fan as you will see from the pictures so because of this he is already a good egg in my book?
Highly recommended. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Sala de Despiece at Sala de Despiece
Artichoke, egg & truffle @saladedespiece
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Michelin Guide -
OAD -
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar... More
Artichoke, egg & truffle @saladedespiece
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Michelin Guide -
OAD -
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide @michelinguide @theworlds50best Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Le Normandie at Le Normandie
Lunch last month in Bangkok at ⭐️⭐️ Le Normandie in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which was a shadow of it’s former self while undergoing extensive refurbishment. This was a collaborative meal between chef Arnaud Dunand-Sauthier of Le Normandie and chef Maxime Gilbert of ⭐️⭐️ Ecriture in HongKong. I have been to several collaborative... More
Lunch last month in Bangkok at ⭐️⭐️ Le Normandie in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which was a shadow of it’s former self while undergoing extensive refurbishment. This was a collaborative meal between chef Arnaud Dunand-Sauthier of Le Normandie and chef Maxime Gilbert of ⭐️⭐️ Ecriture in HongKong. I have been to several collaborative or take-over meals in Bangkok and had low expectations as they have mostly been shockers with European chefs attempting to transfer their cuisine and philosophy thousands of miles to a strange kitchen just for a couple of days for far more covers than they are generally used to doing. It always just seemed like bait for the wealthy locals to be seen doing this sort of thing (and me I guess?). Also, to add to this, I didn’t think the food at Le Normandie would be my bag at all. Far too classical for me based on a visit several years ago where they made me wear a jacket and tie (I have issues with this policy especially when it’s pushing 40 degrees outside) but that’s just personal taste and no fault of the chef.
Having said all that, the meal was great and I couldn’t really fault it. I think it will certainly have been easier for the Ecriture team to organise themselves coming the relatively short distance from HongKong. My only be-puzzlement was at the menu we received which instead of giving a description of the dish we were to receive just, in most cases, gave a precise almost scientific description of the main ingredient. The scallop dish was described thus:
“Scallop. Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks”
“Does it come with mash?” I felt like asking??♂️
After a bit of homework it turns out that all the dishes at Ecriture in HongKong are describes this way on their menu. Anyway, it was all extremely tasty so I will definitely look up Ecriture next time I’m in HongKong and be back for more of chef Arnaud ‘s cooking soon. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Haoma Bangkok at Haoma
Dinner last month at Haoma in Bangkok. Here chef Deepanker Khosla, or DK, has created an oasis in the heart of this vast metropolis and Bangkok’s first urban farm restaurant. The food is ‘Neo Indian’, so new or revived dishes that are close to DK’s heart. This might include a course that is 100% sustainable with zero carbon footprint and entirely... More
Dinner last month at Haoma in Bangkok. Here chef Deepanker Khosla, or DK, has created an oasis in the heart of this vast metropolis and Bangkok’s first urban farm restaurant. The food is ‘Neo Indian’, so new or revived dishes that are close to DK’s heart. This might include a course that is 100% sustainable with zero carbon footprint and entirely made up from ingredients grown within a few feet of your table or a dish that is a very personal tribute to a special person in DK’s life or a modern interpretation of some street food that he ate as a child. So it is definitely cooking from the heart and you can feel DK’s passion and soul in every mouthful.
To achieve what he has in a city like Bangkok is remarkable really and I have nothing but admiration for him. He basically built the place with his bare hands and as we were shown around the property towards the end of the meal we were amazed at the extent of his efforts to push for sustainability and grow as much as he can on site including the fish that you eat during the meal.
This includes 140 metres of vertical farm made from reclaimed gutters which is hydrated using a rain water harvesting system, a tomato farm using old paint buckets that were used to build the house, young plants are nurtured in composted material in old styrofoam boxes so as to strive for zero waste. He built his own tilapia fish farm from a YouTube video and uses the fish excreted waste to then feed the plants that are then served as part of the fish dishes. The fish are fed pellets made from waste from the kitchen and the water that feeds the plants is harvested rain water so he has created a 100% sustainable eco system in his back garden, mind blowing stuff really. He has 30,000 litres of water in his well/tank (that he built himself of course) where around 1000 tilapia swim. In the above ground tanks he stores around 70 fish per tank so as to adhere to the Nordic fishing standards that say that every fish requires 5 litres of water in order to live freely and healthily. Oh, and the food is really tasty to!
I urge you to jump on the BTS and get off at Asok or Phrom Phong and take a wander up Soi 31 where you will find another world waiting for you, a world that will hopefully be the future for a lot more restaurants, homes and businesses.
Thank you Deepanker Khosla for an incredible evening that really opened my eyes ?? Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Restaurante Sacha at Sacha
Another favourite stop in Madrid is restaurant Sacha. If chef and fantastic host Sacha Hormaechea says to you not to worry about ordering he’ll just cook for you then you know it’s your lucky day. Even better when he picks your wine. It was a shame I was dining solo this time as I think a lot of the dishes here are best shared, from previous experiences.... More
Another favourite stop in Madrid is restaurant Sacha. If chef and fantastic host Sacha Hormaechea says to you not to worry about ordering he’ll just cook for you then you know it’s your lucky day. Even better when he picks your wine. It was a shame I was dining solo this time as I think a lot of the dishes here are best shared, from previous experiences. But it was still a fantastic lunch and I can’t wait to go back. It’s predominantly a locals place and tough to book normally but if you bag a seat you’ll be welcomed with socially distanced open arms. I think Sacha is more hosting than cooking these days and it was a real treat to have one of the chefs Lucho appear from the kitchen and offer to show me his favourite local bar after service. Chefs.....we always know the best bars 😬
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Michelin Guide -
OAD - 15
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide @michelinguide @theworlds50best Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Toritama Bangkok at Shirokane Tori-Tama
Pre dinner? a few weeks ago at Tori Tama. Legit yakitori in the heart of Bangkok. Walk through the sake bar/shop on Park Lane, 18 Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai BTS) and in the back is a U-shaped counter where you can sit and close your eyes and you are back in Japan. Then open them and get stuck in to every part of the chicken as this is the speciality... More
Pre dinner? a few weeks ago at Tori Tama. Legit yakitori in the heart of Bangkok. Walk through the sake bar/shop on Park Lane, 18 Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai BTS) and in the back is a U-shaped counter where you can sit and close your eyes and you are back in Japan. Then open them and get stuck in to every part of the chicken as this is the speciality here. Chicken neck, oysters, misaki (butt), wing, thigh, breast, liver, gizzard, heart, embryonic egg, skin....nothing is wasted here and everything is delicious. Chef Tanaka San is really coming up with the goods here. Highly recommended when you are in Bangkok. Less